The Nature Of A Rose
by Mayet
Summary: During Human Nature/Family Of Blood the Doctor hides as a teacher at Queen's Collage in 1887, with Rose enrolled as a student. John Smith/Rose; Doctor/Rose
1. Onwards from Doomsday

_**The Nature Of A Rose**_

**Spoilers:** Doomsday, and every episode up to Human Nature/Family Of Blood

**Warning:** AU; unbetaed, adult situations in later chapters, and _please don't forget_ that this contains teacher-student-romance

**Characters:** Doctor aka John Smith; Rose Tyler, the maid Jenny, Joan Redfern, Charlotte Jenkins (soon to be Latimer- yes, Timothy's mother because I needed someone psychic), her brother(nameless for the moment), a.o.

**Chapter 1: Onwards From Doomsday**

Flashback (never started with one before, so this should be intresting)

_Two months after the Torchwood incident, the TARDIS could be found orbiting a supernova. As she waited for the Doctor to form the link that would allow her one last, most likely tearful goodbye with her family and friends, the young woman stood in the doorway to watch the dying of the star outside. It was a beautiful mesh of colours, different shades of blue and green, of yellow and white and pink and purple glorifying this rare event. She shuddered a bit when she thought that this was their doing. Well, technically, the Doctor had done it- had killed that beautiful star- but he'd only done it because she'd asked him to._

_If not in words, then with her silent grief._

"Rose?" _he asked as he approached her carefully. A hand came to rest upon her shoulder, and she squeezed it._ "It's time."

_She nodded, sniffing. Then the brunette followed the Doctor around the console. To stop dyeing (spelling?) her hair had been sort of a statement. A first step towards a new beginning. New begiining to a life without her family. Or the family she could've had, if she'd listened to the Doctor. He had wanted to give her that, a family, when he'd sent her away that day at Canary Wharf. She had come back, telling him that she'd made her choice not to leave him so long ago already, and she'd meant it. She wasn't going to leave him, she didn't regret her choice but it still hurt to lose her mum- and Mickey, again._

"Ready?" _the Doctor's smooth voice asked her._

_She nodded, not trusting her voice._

_After another deep breath, she stepped on the spot her Time Lord was indicating her. Immediately, the TARDIS faded into the background, even the incessant whirring sound of the ship's engines were muted. Instead, Rose found herself on a windy beach, the salty smell of the sea reaching her nose. At the other end she was able to make out a jeep, Mickey and her not-quite-dad waiting infront of it. Pete's arms were crossed as he leaned back against the side of the car but Mickey's gaze was longing as if he wanted to talk to her._

_Rose smiled at him before scanning the beach for the person she really wanted to talk to._

_The brunette found her mother only a few feet away, slowly moving towards her as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. Rose could imagine how her mother must've thought that she was slowly going insane. The Doctor had told her that he had been calling out to Jackie telepathically for the past few months. If it had been anyone else's voice, Jackie would've probably gone to see a psichiatric first thing in the morning. However, she had met the Doctor and had witnessed with her own eyes what he was capable of, so she'd decided to follow the voice in her dreams._

"Rose?" _her mother asked, uncertain._

"Hi, mum."

"You look like a ghost," _her mother stated, frowning._

_Rose turned around to the Doctor who mouthed an apology, and did something with his sonic screwdriver._

"Better?" _Rose wanted to know, since she couldn't see her holographic form._

_Her mother approached her, reaching out a hand._

"Can I…?"

_Rose shook her head, the first tears resurfacing to plague her._

"I'm just a hologram. You can't touch me," _the brunette choked._

"Why not come through properly?"

"The Doctor said that travelling between the universes is still impossible. They would collapse against each other."

"Figures that Himself would say something like that…" _her mother muttered darkly._ "Where is he, then? This alien git you chose over your family."

"Mum…" _Rose implored. She couldn't handle this, if her mother was going to make it harder than it was already._

"I'm here, Jackie," _the Doctor interrupted her, laying his hand on her shoulder once more._

"YOU!" _Jackie Tyler barked with the full authority of a mother, and Rose could feel the Doctor shiver against her due to their close proximity._ "You better take good care of my little girl, you hear me?! Or I'll tear open the Void, or whatever, with my bare hands, so I can find you to give you the worst slap of your life!"

"And you know what the scary part is?" _the Doctor asked in a half-mock._ "I actually believe that you would."

"Oi! Tell Himself that he better not get cheeky with me," _Rose's mother told her._

_The brunette relayed the message with a smile as the Doctor disappeared once more into the background, reassuring Jackie that he'd take care of Rose. That same smile, small to begin with, fell from her face instantly when her mother asked how long thy had got. Giving her mother the truthful answer- just under two minutes now- almost killed her. Especially as it was followed by an awkward silence._

"Where has the gap come out?"

"Darlig Ulv Stranden."

"Dalek?"

"Dalig…We're in Norway... It's translates as Bad Wolf Bay."

"So, have you settled in?" _Rose finally asked, although it was definitely not the right moment for smalltalk._

"Yeah, since there's already been a Jackie Tyler- who was reported dead- I'm back working as a hairdresser, while my new identity is created."

"…uhm…"

"Oh, don't be stupid!" _her mother then half laughed at her silly expression._ "Pete and I renewed our vows after I was surprisingly discovered in a hospital in Scotland. With amnesia, but alive."

"Oh…right. Good. That's…good. Wonderful. Fantastic even."

"Told you, you sound like him." _This time Jackie's voice was almost sad._

"Yeah…I guess…"

"So, what about you? What are you two up to?" _her mother asked a moment later._

_This had been the question she'd dreaded the most from the moment when the Doctor had told her that it was possible to contact her mum one more time. What were they up to? How could a question so simple, have an answer so decidedly un-simple?! Sure, there was a simple answer. Keep on travelling, like they always had. Never settle down, never stop having adventures. Fortunately and unfortunately, that was not the whole truth. Rose had wondered whether or not to tell her mum about how her relationship with the Doctor had progressed (yes, Jackie had never believed them to be 'just friends' but now that it was official, her mother would actually be right in thinking that there was something), not to mention the little extra bit that looking into the heart of the TARDIS was slowly changing her to be genetically closer to the Doctor (it would take several years until she grew her second heart and respiratory bypass-system, but still…)._

'But this is my last chance,' _a little voice in Rose spoke up. _'My last chance to tell my mother how happy I am. I can't miss it.' _Just as she was about to answer, she felt the Doctor's strong arms slip around her waist possessively, and no further explanation was needed. The expression on her mother's face seemed to slip back and forth between anger and acceptance but she still held her finger up warningly towards the Doctor._

_The pinstriped Time Lord just grinned._

"Well, I guess it was to be expected. My daughter loved you even when you were all big ears and leather," _Jackie finally relented._ "But what about your side of the medal? 'Cause I'm not having some ancient alien git rob this craddle if he's just playing with my little girl's feelings!"

"Quite right too," _the Doctor amended._ "And if this is my last chance to tell you, Jackie, your daughter is my-"

_The connection broke off._

End of Flashback

It had been about six months since that horrible day on some random- Bad Wolf Bay, yah, randon! Ha!- beach in an alternative universe. Rose and the Doctor had had quite a few adventures since then. First of all, seconds after the connection to her mother broke, a red-haired bride had just popped up in the TARDIS. Something which the Doctor claimed to be impossible, ergo it was just a little bit unlikely. Once they'd saved Donna- as the bride's name turned out to be- from being thrown down to the centre of the Earth to become the wake-up snack of some giant red spiders, they'd stumbled upon a hospital full of plasmacoils. Teaming up with a local medical student called Martha Jones- the Doctor really had a knack for picking up pretty girls- they'd saved the day the second time that week. As a thanks, they had taken their new friend on a trip to meet Shakespeare that ended in saving the world a third time. After dropping Martha off back home with the promise of visiting every now and again- and maybe a few more trips in the future- they'd set off to New Earth, first getting into trouble, then out of it. Afterwards they found out that their old friends from the Cult of Skaro were still out and about, had almost fallen into a living sun, and then they were forced to stop some idiot human scientist, Martha had called to warn them about.

But this, Rose decided, was by all means the worst.

Reliving every one of their adventures since the Torchwood incident as she followed the housemaid to her room, Rose wondered not for the first time why she had ever agreed to this in the first place. This adventure, not travelling with the Doctor. She wouldn't have missed that for the world. Of all the stupid ideas her Time Lord had had- and don't fool yourselves, there have been quite a few- this was possibly the single, daftest one she'd ever even just heard about.

And here she'd thought it couldn't get worse after he licked the hand of that planet's princess, because it was yellow as a banana…

'Figures,' the brunette thought. 'For someone so brilliant, he isn't half thick sometimes…'

"This is your room, Miss Tyler," the housemaid, Jenny if she remembered correctly, told her. "Your roommate is Miss Jenkins."

"Only Miss Jenkins?" she asked, not believing that she didn't have to share with four or five of the other girls.

"There aren't many students, Miss, so there is enough room," Jenny answered, not looking her in the eye. "Only the family and the female staff have accsess to the dormitories. On occasion, the headmaster can grant someone permissionto-"

"What about the teachers?" Rose interrupted. It was rude, but she really didn't need a lecture. She wasn't in the mood.

"Of course not!" Jenny almost shrieked, shocked by her question. On an afterthought, she added: "Miss."

"Alright," Rose sighed. This made everything more complicated. "Thank you, Jenny."

She gave Jenny a few coins, at which the maid stared in wonder. Apparently, no one had ever bothered to reward her for her kind assistance. Ignoring the wide-eyed housemaid, Rose opened the door to the small room. There wasn't much furniture from what she could see. Two simple beds, a wardrobe, a desk and a chair. Another sigh left her lips. This would be her home for the next three months or so. Queen's College in London, 1887.

'Well,' she thought. 'I guess it could be worse.'

"Hello!" a soft voice greeted her. Once she had turned, Rose could see that it belonged to a young girl with dark eyes and light brown hair. "You must be the new arrival. I'm Charlotte Jenkins… soon to be Latimer."

"You're…?" Rose couldn't help but wonder aloud.

"Engaged? Yes," she responded kindly, not minding the rudeness. "So, what are you called?"

"Rose!" the brunette blurted. "Uhm… Rose Tyler."

"Nice to meet you, Rose, Rose Tyler," the younger girl said, offering her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Charlotte Jenkins, soon to be Latimer," Rose chuckled as she grabbed hold of the girl's hand to shake it. Just as their skin touched, something odd happened. There was some sort of electricity passing between them, and by the odd look on Charlotte's face, she could feel it too.

**End of chapter 1!**

**A/N: Alright, this is the beginning of my latest Doctor Who fanfic. Now it's official, I'm obsessed! ;)**

**For all Doctor/Rose-Lovers: My fanfic "Does Your Mother Know?" is a very different JE 'fix it'. I would be happy to hear/read your thoughts on it. (it's rated M to be safe)**


	2. Two Months Later

**_The Nature Of A Rose_**

**Part 2/8**

**Ten/Rose**

**John Smith/Rose**

**Disclaimer (forgot it last time): I don't own Doctor Who, no matter how much I may wish that I did... 'sighs'**

**Chapter 2: Two Months Later**

Flasback (yes, this chapter starts with one too)

"DOWN!"

_They came crashing through the doors of the Blue Box into the room that was much bigger than the outside held promise for. He quicklly grabbed hold of the small of her back to push her towards the floor as she was not quick enough to react to his shout. With a loud 'oumpf' they landed on the metal grating that surrounded the glowing mushroom in the centre. A crash followed after them, then a hiss as something exploded where her head had been moments ago. Once he was on his feet again, he ran up to the mushroom to switch several levers. The comlumn gave a loud whirring noise as it started to move. There was a shift, and the two of them were left alone in the…_

_Console room?_

_Was that what it was called?_

_He strode over to help her up, her brunette hair cascading over her shoulders as she straightened herself. Worry crept into every single fibre of his being when she almost fell back down onto the floor as he let go of her. His arms immediately went to encricle her waist, a movement not strictly necessary to keep her upright but he enjoyed it too much to change positions. _

"You alright?" _he asked, and his voice seemed oddly low._

_The girl looked up at him, familiar eyes settling on his face._

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did they see you?"

_She frowned a bit._

"How should I know? I was a bit busy running for my life," _she admonished him. Him!_

"Yes, but did they see you?"

"I don't know."

_He cupped her face in his hands._

"Please, try to remember. It's very important… Did they see your face?"

_Her frown only deepened, but now there was something else too. Fear, he realized. He wanted to kick himself. He hadn't wanted her to be afraid, but couldn't keep the urgency out of his voice. The effectiveness of his plan might very well depend on her answer to this seemingly meaningless question. As he continued to stare at her with such intensity, he noticed that his thumbs had started to caress the apples of her cheeks without asking his mind for permission first. Not that he wouldn't have granted it, they were very nice cheeks after all...but still... While he fought to keep his gaze steady after noticing this behaviour- as if keeping her this close wasn't inappropriate enough!- he couldn't help it straying downward to her mouth. _

_Slightly parted lips inviting him, drawing him in. The urge to snog her senseless… snog her? Where did that word come from? Strange were his dreams sometimes! The urge to kiss her… yes, that's it. The urge to kiss her was very strong, but this situation required more seriousness than his distracted mind wanted to apply._

_And why wasn't he kissing her again?!_

"Rose…" _her name fell from his lips as he pleaded with her to remember when he could not concentrate on anything but her. The tone of his voice, so desperate. And yet, her name managed to sound like a lover's caress. An endearment whispered in the heat of passion. Looking up at her eyes once more, he realized that they might as well be in such a moment. The look she gave him was dazed. _

_She was feeling it too._

"Rose…" _he murmured, so close to her face._

"No, they shouldn't have. I don't think so… No," _she finally answered._

"Good, then…"

_There was a beep from the…console. He turned to look at the intricate patterns blinking on the monitor- whatever was a monitor?- and scraped a hand over his scalp, dishevelling his messy hair even more. The little circles staring back at him from the monitor were something he had never seen, and yet he could understand every word. They were following them! Whoever 'they' were, he knew that they were following them._

_  
And that it was bad!_

"Rose, you trust me, don't you?"

_She frowned again, apparently knowing that when he said that, something was wrong. Terribly wrong! She scrutinized him for a few minutes, like he remembered seeing her doing many times now that he thought about it. His hand reached out to hold hers, and she laced her fingers through his. Her grip on his hand became stronger, the longer she looked at him. Then she finally nodded._

"They're following us-"

"But how? We've got a time machine?"

"Stolen technology, a Vortex Manipulator. From the Time Agency. They'll follow us everywhere, they'll never stop," _he told her seriously._

"Okay, so what are we gonna do?" _she asked._

_He rummaged in his endless pockets before bringing forth a watch. Holding it up, he showed it to her. Practically shoved it into her face, he did. He knew how crazed he must look to her, for there was such a deep concern in her face as if she started to doubt his sanity._

"Take this watch, Rose, 'cause my life depends on it. This watch, Rose, this watch is-"

End of Flashback

A soft knock on the door to his study interrupting John Smith's pondering over the latest of those strange dreams his mind came up with to pass the night. As he called for the person outside to come in, he knew already who he was going to have to face in a few seconds. True to his fears, and slight excitement if he were to be honest with himself, his young student by the name of Rose Tyler entered the room.

"Good afternoon, sir," she greeted him.

As always, she carried a tray in her hands. The soft aroma of good english tea filled the study, washing away the scent of dusty, old books as it went. It reminded him of her first day assisting him in his quest to get some order into the chaos the last history teacher left his unfortunate successor saddled with as he left in quite a hurry. When John Smith had asked the headmaster if he could engage the help of a student, he had never imagined that the young lass in question would have half the mind to take over the housemaid's duties.

And yet, Rose Tyler had effectively conquered every last bit of the challenge; tidying, dusting off, bringing him tea…

At first he had frowned a bit on such uncharacteristic behaviour, but as time passed by he had gotten used to and even fond of her quirks. Not least of all, because he'd found out that she had started studying at this school just a few days before he arrived. With an indulgent smile, he had accepted that she was just looking for the company of someone who was as new to this school as she was. His search for an assistant had simply given her the oppoertunity she had been lacking.

Setting down the tray, she waved her hand infront of his eyes that, although there was no doubt that they had been following her every move- or the tray's more likely- seemed to be unseeing at the moment. As if he were trapped in his own little world. Startled awake at the motion of her delicate hand inches from his face, he flushed as he realized that he had been staring.

"Good afternoon, Miss Tyler," he finally answered her, embarrassed beyond measure. His student had just caught him staring at her, again. This had not been the first time as his marvellous dreams had centred around the pair of them quite often, increasing since he had gotten to know her.

She smiled at him. Indulgently. Oh, the cheek…!

"Your tea, Professor Smith," she told him, gesturing at the tray as his eyes would still not move from her face. "And what do you need me to do today, sir?"

He almost jumped.

"Oh, just further organizing the books. Pick out the ones that belong to the library. Mr. Cartwright has informed me that he's still missing some books. The usual," he answered, looking down at his empty cup for the first time. He may not have seen a single housemaid for the better part of the past two months thanks to Rose Tyler, but she certainly made sure to remind him that she was, in fact, a student and not his servant. Ergo, his empty cup served to tell him in no uncertain terms that what she was doing was a favor to him, and not something he should take for granted.

Not that he ever could.

"Alright then, sir," she clipped in mock-obedience.

Something came to his mind, quite suddenly. It was out of his mouth before he could think it through.

"When it's just you and me, I would much prefer if you just called me John. 'Professor' or 'sir' just makes me feel old…"

His cheeks reddened immediately, even more so when she turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry, that was rude," John Smith apologized.

"Rude and not ginger," she chuckled to herself.

"Excuse me?"

"It was. Rude, I mean," she covered quickly. "But it was nice."

"It was?"

She smiled.

"Yes, it was. I was just surprised, not offended…John," she said tentatively as if trying to weigh his name on her tongue. "And I would like you to call me Rose. Think of how old Miss Tyler must make me feel."

Oh, yes! She definitely had an attitude…

"Sometimes I have these…extraordinary dreams," and again, it was out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

"What about, John?" she asked as she whisked by to drop some books for Mr. Cartwright's library onto his desk. His name falling from her lips- his, not the Doctor's- made him shiver pleasantly.

"I dream I am this…uhm… adventurer, this daredevil, a madman. The Doctor, I'm called," he chuckled, turning his head to look at her as she frowned at him. Quite right too. It was quite an unusual tale. "And last night I dreamt…that you were there… as my…" he struggled with the words, not wanting to give her a false impression and scare her away, "…companion."

She grinned at him, her tongue poking out. A relieved sigh fought it's way up his throat to leave his mouth, but he swallowed it down. Still, this smile was his salvation. It meant that she was pleased or happy. Very much so. That was another thing he had learned about Rose Tyler while working with her for over two months. Strictly speaking, he didn't need her help anymore after two weeks. Since then, he'd been steali- borrowing several books from the library every week, so he could keep her… well, so he could further enjoy her company.

He had a feeling, she knew this.

"The teacher and his student. That'd never happen."

"Impossible, you say?"

"Nah, just a little bit unlikely," she replied without having to think about it.

"Isn't it just?" he asked, standing from his desk, walking around it so he could lean on it. When he spoke up again, his voice held a serious, poetic note to it. "It's funny how our dreams slip away from us, but I do remember two things very clearly. I wasn't human even if I looked it, and it all took place in the future. In the year of our Lord, 2007."

"Well, that can easily be proved wrong. Just look at today's newspaper. It's December, 10, 1887, and you're completely human. As human as they come."

**End of chapter 2!**

**A/N: Chapter Two complete! Yay! I hope you liked it, and I'm sorry it had to be so much like the actual episodes. The story will differ from them more in future chapters.**


	3. Propriety

_**The Nature Of A Rose**_

**Ten/Rose**

**John Smith/Rose**

**Part 3/8**

**Chapter 3: Propriety**

Jenny was scrubbing the floor when she heard the student's approach. Usually, the girl were always running around in larger groups, untiringly chatting away, filling each other in on the latest gossip. However, the housemaid could only hear two pairs of footsteps, and knew immediately who was coming her way. The young girl she had accompanied to her room one stormy night two months ago had yet to befriend anyone other than her roommate, Ms. Jenkins.

That was only to be expected, though, what with the rumors running about concerning the free-spirited Rose Tyler. Not only had she practically jumped at the chance to become Professor Smith's assistance and help him out with the mess his predecessor had left him, she also spent an inappropriate amount of time doing so every day. On the first day of her new task, the brunette had intercepted Jenny on her way towards Mr. Smith's quarters, and practically yanked the tray with his afternoon tea from the maid's surprised grip.

Then she had smiled, and told her to move on to the next task.

Jenny's frown had stayed in place for the rest of the day, then the better part of the week while she quickly figured out that Ms. Tyler just didn't care if people frowned upon this kind of behaviour from a young lady. After that first week, Jenny hadn't even bothered trying to take the tray for Mr. Smith from the kitchens. When she'd popped her head inside the cook's realm it had been long since gone anyway!

Despite all of this, Jenny rather liked the young woman. She wasn't the only one, either. In fact, most of the staff found her forward-thinking attitude quite a refreshment from everyone elses' cold distance and clipped orders. If she thought about it now, the maid realized that Rose Tyler had never given her any orders. She'd always politely asked for her help, and thanked her with sincerity.

"Good morning, Jenny," Rose greeted her as she and Ms. Jenkins reached the working woman. She was wearing gloves, which obviously surprised the elder woman, but the brunette had made a point not to touch her roommate's naked skin after their first encounter, and had deemed it necessary.

"Good morning, Miss Tyler, Ms. Jenkins."

"Morning, Jenny," Charlotte replied with a smile on her face, albeit a bit groggily so early in the morning.

"How are you doing today, Jenny?" Rose asked with genuine interest.

"I'm feeling a bit down, ma'am. I think I might be catching a cold," the maid answered honestly, knowing that the young lady wouldn't get angry with her.

"Maybe you should talk to the headmaster. Ask him to give you the rest of the day off," the brunette suggested. "You can even tell him that I'll take over your duties. I really don't mind. In fact, a little work will probably do me some good."

Jenny laughed at that.

"Oh, Ms. Tyler, the things you say."

"She's a walking scandal, isn't she?" Charlotte chimed in, grinning.

They laughed for another minute, only interrupted by Rose's muttering about how this was not funny. Jenny had completely forgotten the dirty floor she was supposed to be scrubbing, as well as her position as a lowly maid. As the boundaries of society fell away from her, she just let herself enjoy the other women's company. But, of course, it wasn't long before the happy moment was disturbed by a snide remark.

"You're not paid to have fun, servant," a girl with dark curls snapped at her from the safety of her pack.

Jenny sobbered instantly.

"Tell me, servant, with hands as dirty as those, how do you ever tell when something is clean?" another young lady barked at her.

"Stop being mean," Rose practically growled at the group.

"How dare you?" Dark-Curls spoke up again. "Just because you're the teacher's pet you think you're better than us?! How dare you give us orders?"

"Well, excuse me, for thinking that a priviliged group of young ladies such as yourself would have enough common sense to behave like civilized people, instead of barbarians. Obviously, I was wrong. My deepest apologies for that, ladies," the brunette snarled back at them.

"How dare you?!"

"You asked that question already," Rose simply stated. "Getting forgetful now as well?"

The girls hufffed before gathering their skirts, and marching right passed them with whatever bit of dignity Rose had left them with. Another growl escaped Ms. Tyler's throat, the sound of a feral animal. With one last scoff, she turned back to Jenny, apologizing for how the girls had acted towards her. Then, she excused herself and Ms. Jenkins as they needed to go to class.

"Professor Smith will skin us alive if we were to be late!" she parted from the maid with a joke.

Jenny found said professor at the other end of the hall with a curious expression on his face… Apparently, her little show of bravery had impressed the older man.

When John Smith entered the room, he received an almost toneless and very formal greeting from most of his students. A quick glance at Rose made his day, though, when she graced him with one of her soft smiles. Her head however was held up only by her hand, and she seemed to wish herself to far away places. John, too, would like this lecture and the rest of the day over as soon as possible, so that he could be returned to watching his beautiful student's dainty hands caress the backs of his books as she sorted them- even though, he should be correcting some essay or preparing his next class!

He sighed- he was a lost cause- and began his lesson…

33333

Rose was more than glad when school was over for the day. She had never liked classes in her time, in this almost prehistoric institute she enjoyed them even less. A small smile came to her face when she thought about how her work in the Doctor's… no, John's study was going to begin in half an hour. That smile fell as soon as she set eyes on the other girl in the room. Once they reached the security of their dorm, Charlotte unceremoniously dropped her books onto the desk underneath the window, and turned to regard her roommate with a scrunitizing gaze that bordered on suspicious.

"What's wrong?" Rose wanted to know.

"What was wrong with you this morning?" Charlotte asked back. "You growled at Martina Bulstrode like…like a wolf. There was something of a wolf about you. A bad wolf."

Rose was taken aback. Were the words following her again? Did they have some meaning? Or was it just a coincidence that Charlotte uttered them right now? Did she have reason to worry? Well, obviously she had. The Doctor was human, hiding from some strange alien kin he only called The Family Of Blood. Aside from that, though? Was there something else she needed to be aware about?

Another Dalek fleet hiding somewhere in deep space?

"Rose," Charlotte's voice brought her back to the real world.

"Wha- oh. Right, sorry. I was elsewhere…" the brunette stated still visibly shaken.

"And besides that, she does have a point, you know?"

"Who has? What point?"

"Martina Bulstrode," Charlotte clipped. "You spend an awful lot of time in Mr. Smith's office. There are many rumors as to why, and none of them are nice. They're going to break your neck, if you don't do something about that soon."

"Charlotte, I told you. There's nothing going on. They're just rumors. I'll be fine… You believe me, don't you?"

"It's not a matter of whether I believe you or not. It's about the impression you give. It's all about impressions. How do you expect to find a husband when every suitable lad thinks you're a…a…teacher's pet?!"

"Who said I'm tryinhg to find a-"

A knock on their door interrupted the little row. Whoever was outside didn't wait for an answer, instead opening the door without hesitation. In came Richard Timothy Jenkins, Charlotte's brother, who got reprimanded promptly for entering without permission. They might have been changing after all. Dark-haired, handsome young Richard, who had been forced to support his family when his father died, blushed a bit, and apologized, but his gaze soon skipped from his sister over to Rose. It settled with both, longing and surprise.

"M-Ms. Tyler, I must ap-apologize for my manners. I had not… noticed you there… I had not expected you to be here," he announced, ever the gentleman.

"It's her room too, Richard," his sister informed him.

"I know. I ssimply presumed that she would be helping Mr. Smith to his office after he fell down the stairs."

Neither of them could follow her hasty movements as Rose rushed out of the room.

333333333333333333

"Oh my god, are you alright?"

After hearing of his fall, worry had gripped her heart like a hand made out of ice, tightly wound around the muscle. Slowly freezing her body. She had run along the halls, almost knocking down some of the students and staff members that came into her way, only to blunder into the study without further ado. This earned the her a scowling look from Matron Redfern, who was positioned behind the chair John Smith sat on.

"Excuse me, Ms. Tyler, it's hardly good form to enter your professor's study without knocking."

"I just heard that he fell down the stairs. He could've broken his neck, have a concussion, or another trauma. Do you really think it's the time to worry about 'good form', because personally I can't bring myself to care," she retorted equally displeased.

"That is… how dare you…"

'I seem to get to hear that sentence quite often,' Rose thought to herself. 'This time, I might actually get into trouble, though. I should learn to keep my mouth shut sometime soon.'

She was saved by the injured himself.

"I myself find it quite touching. Most students would be glad that they wouldn't have to go to class tomorrow," John Smith said with a twinkle in his eyes that was instantly reflected by the small smile creeping back onto the brunette's face. The teacher then turned to address the nurse directly. "So, how am I doing, Ma…Nur…Joan?"

The Matron sighed.

"You don't seem to have a concussion, and your head appears otherwisely uninjured as well. You might get a slight headache, but that is to be expected," the older woman stated matter-of-factly, then grinned slightly. "Seriously, though, in all my years as a nurse I've never heard of someone to walk straight off the stairs. It was quite the sight, John."

Her fear for the Doctor's well-being turned into fear over this conversation's implications.

**End of chapter 3!**

**A/N: First chapter without a Flashback... Feels almost weird. ;) This story will focus more on the emotional side, I think. Please leave a review!**


	4. Everything Burns

_**The Nature Of A Rose**_

**Ten/Rose**

**John Smith/Rose**

** Part 4/8**

**Chapter 4: Everything Burns**

_Flashback (sorry, got to start with another one)_

"…and I appear to be holding your books."

_John Smith, still captivated by his latest dream about the Doctor the night before, finally came to realize that the school's nurse…no, that was rude, she was the school's matron. So, he finally came to realize that the school's matron had been talking to him for the past minute while she had aided him in collecting his books from the floor. The first thing he had noticed about the woman infront of him, had been her light blonde hair, which had reminded him of his dream in the first place._

_It had been quite strange a dream, even by his current standards. He, in the vestiges of the Doctor, had travelled with a strangely blonde Rose to a planet called New Earth in the far future of humanity. He had had received a message to come to the hospital to visit someone, although he had not known who. Still, he had followed the call like he always did, meeting walking, talking with wimple-clad cats, and saving thousands of human lifeforms from their existence as guinea pigs._

_Unfortunately, while the Doctor had been trying to solve the mystery that enveloped that strange hospital in the city of New New York (although, technically it was the fifteenth city since the original, so that made it new, new, new, new, new…), he had gotten separated from his companion, who managed to get possessed by a talking piece of skin. That wasn't even all that unnerving, seeing as far stranger things had happened to them, but the skin-woman- in Rose's body- had apparently taken a liking to him, since he found himself dragged into a steamy, furious kiss._

_The mere thought about Rose's lips covering his, made John Smith blush a bright scarlet. Even if it hadn't really been her, that dream was wrong. He was an adult man, a man of reason. He did not lust after one of his students, even if she was an extremely pretty little ape… No, wait, that was rude again! Rose was not an ape. Well, technically, she was, but that didn't make it right to call her that! Especially, since he was an ape too, and not some half-crazy alien with two hearts._

_They were just dreams, but they made him feel guilty._

_They were sinful._

"Don't you want them back?" _the Matron asked when he fell back into his own little Rose-coloured world._

"Back?" _he inquired eloquently._

"Your books, Mr. Smith. The ones I'm holding," _she chuckled at his embarrassment, thinking it was because of the situation, and not because of his guilty fantasy about… Well, of course she wouldn't think of that!_

"Oh, yes. Yes, thank you," _the school teacher replied suddenly._

"Although, why don't I take a half?" _she asked with a smile that made John Smith tingle._

"Brilliant!" _he exclaimed, grinning back which only served to broaden her smile._ "Brilliant idea. Division of labour. Yes, brilliant."

"We make quite a team."

_Was she… flirting with him? My, how forward of her… almost audacious…_

"Don't we just?"

_Was he flirting back? Where did that word come from, anyway?_

_They shared a laugh as they walked further down the hallway, reminding him of the many laughs he and Rose had shared inside their Magic Blue Box. Of course, they'd never really shared those laughs, but as the Matron suggested he call her Nurse Redfern, John Smith couldn't help but compare her slow approach with how openly the Rose in his dreams teased and taunted him._

_Well, the Doctor._

_Rose Tyler and John Smith had laughed together as well, though. In his study, tidying up, ordering his own private library, and dusting off the shelves, laughter had never been far around the metaphorical corner. And when he thought about it, even the real Rose was much more straight-forward and modern than Ma…Nurse Redfern. While he contemplated all this, John Smith barely noticed that his 'companion' had spoken up once more._

"Although, since you've been working here for two months now, you may as well call me Joan."

"Joan?" _he wondered aloud, not seeing the connection to his thoughts._

"Yes, that's my name," _Joan told him kindly._

"Oh, obviously," _he stuttered, flushing a bit._

"And it's…John?" _she questioned rather suggestively. John nodded mutely, somewhat dismayed. His name just didn't sound right coming from Nur…Joan. He missed the soft ring and familiar warmth it held when Rose said it, and it lacked the girl's special smile, tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth and everything. Before he could drift off to contemplate how much he loved, no, liked… yeah, definitely liked…that smile, Joan asked him another question._ "Have you seen this, John?"

_He looked up to see an announcement attached to the wall._

"The annual Yule Ball on the 24th of December. Do you think you'll go?"

"I…hadn't thought about it." _And how could he have, if he hadn't even known about the Ball until twenty seconds ago._

"It's been ages since I've been to a dance. Only, no one's asked me."

_Oh._

"Well…I should imagine that you'd be…I mean, I-I-I never thought you'd be one for…If you do! You may not. I-I probably won't. But even if I did, I couldn't… I mean, I wouldn't want to…" _he rambled on, unable to form a coherent thought, and wasn't that what the Doctor did when faced with such a situation with his Rose._

_What about Rose anyway? Would she go to the dance? Who would be the gentleman accompanying her? She had been here only for two months, and she had no family- at least, no one ever visited her; he'd have to ask her about that- and she had spent most of her time helping him sort the mess in his study out. She probably didn't know anyone who could take her to the Ball. Would she even like to go? Did she enjoy dancing? The Rose in his dreams had definitely alluded to this, but what about the real Rose?!_

_And if there wasn't anyone to escort her, would she go alone? She was most definitely tenacious enough, that much he knew._

_Joan said something that John didn't hear._

"What?"

"The stairs. They're right behind you."

_However, the warning came to late as mere seconds after her mouth had closed on the last word, he rolled down said staircase._

_End of Flashback_

"You don't seem to have a concussion, and your head appears otherwisely uninjured as well. You might get a slight headache, but that is to be expected," the older woman stated matter-of-factly, then grinned slightly. "Seriously, though, in all my years as a nurse I've never heard of someone to walk straight off the stairs. It was quite the sight, John."

"I can imagine," John Smith muttered darkly.

The Matron snickered, shaking her head.

"There, all better. Would you be needing anything else from me?"

"No, thank you, Joan. You've done wonderfully. It doesn't hurt a bit," he complimented the Matron's medical skills with just a bit more enthusiasm than Rose would've liked. Discreetly taking a deep breath, the brunette tried to calm her raging heart. Tried to quell the fear that this was Madam de Pompadour all over again, just worse. Back then, there had been nothing binding the Doctor to her, but now…

This was how it must feel like to be cheated on.

_'It's not him,'_ Rose tried to tell herself, but it was hardly of any use as Joan curtsied mockingly, earning a brilliant smile and a small bow from the brown-haired man. As she walked out, the Matron threw her a dirty look. Fighting off the tears, she plastered a false smirk onto her face, resolving to get by this horror through teasing. "You fell down the stairs?!"

John turned to her, pouting.

"I did not fall…I…tumbled…"

She snickered without joy. Yeah, right…

"And…is that…by any chance…some strange alien…custom of your…people…I should be aware of?" she managed to ask between helpless giggles. Laughing was the only way to cope with the arising romance she had just witnessed that wouldn't leave him suspicious of her tears. The only alternative was crying her heart out while pounding on his chest, and in this time that was just not an option. She'd reserve that for later when he would be himself again.

"No," he laughed with her, taking her jibe with good humor. "At least, I think not. The story isn't complete yet, after all… Though… I've…written some of my dreams in the form of fiction. If…if you would like to…you might not…sorry, you've probably better things to do than… sorry…"

Rose smiled a genuine smile at that. Touched that John Smith would like to share his dreams with her.

"I would love to."

John beamed at that. He'd been contemplating whether or not to show her for a few weeks now, but had never dared to go through with it out of fear that she might laugh at him. He couldn't take that. Rose- the Dream-Rose believed in the Doctor. John Smith might just break if the real Rose thought he was a nutter. A nutter? Where did he get these strange enxpressions from? Shaking his head free of his thoughts before he could get distracted again, he walked over to his desk to pull a brown leather journal out of one of the drawers.

"My 'Journal of Impossible Things'," he announced proudly as he approached her to show her the opened book, and flipped through the pages.

"This looks like a pepperpot," Rose remarked in fake wonder when the sketch of a Dalek appeared infront of her vision.

"Oh, but they're dangerous," John Smith warned her earnestly. "They're the darkest nightmare of the universe. The greatest threat to all of god's creation. We faced them four times already, and barely escaped with our lives to tell the story…I've fought them before- with a different face! Imagine that! A different man!"

He slapped his forehead in astonishment, while Rose smiled and flipped another page.

"Are these you then?" she asked as she pointed at the pictures of several very distinguished people.

"Y-yes. Everyone of them has…died, and become someone else," John answered, his expression somber.

"Hm, there are nine men here on the page, plus you. That makes ten. Ten different people," Rose counted, looking intently at the page. Sure, she'd known about regeneration for a while now, but she'd never seen pictures of what the Doctor looked like before. This was like meeting eight new men.

"You couldn't imagine how different," John muttered more to himself as Rose chuckles. "What?"

Another Doctor-pout.

"It's just…everyone worries so much about getting older, about aging and dying. It seems to be the other way around for you. You look younger with every face…Should one worry that next time you change your face you'll turn out to be a toddler?!" she asked him, a teasing twinkle in her brown eyes that had John laughing to hide his embarrassment at her comment, and how his heart quickened hearing it.

"Ah, but Rose, I'm an alien. I was born on another world," he said, trying to be impressive for her.

"Another world?…You mean…?"

"There amongst the stars," he replied before she could even finish asking her question. His megawatt-smile could've lit the Powell Estates for a year.

"How did you end up here, then?" she played along, and warmth spread through him.

"I don't know… I think I got stuck."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, confusing him. As he quirked an eyebrow in her direction, she added silently. "Must be terrible to be so very far from home."

Wasn't it just? It definitely was for her, even if the TARDIS had parked herself in the cellar.

John sobbered instantly.

"I- the Doctor doesn't have a home. I don't remember why, but that's just what he is: A Traveller. A Wanderer without a Home."

Rose looked at him sympathetically. And this time when she said that she was sorry, she meant it.

"You must be very lonely," she added in an afterthought.

"Nah!" he denied it without hesitation. "I may be alone, the last of my kind, but I'm never lonely. Not since I met you."

This made Rose almost choke on her own breath. She was from a time period over a hundred years into the future and no blushing virgin, but this tiny little comment had the capacity to let her cheeks flare bright red. Not that John was getting off any better. His hand was rubbing the back of his neck, and he couldn't quite meet her eyes. Her heart fluttered as she realized that he wasn't apologizing. Instead, he said something wonderfully romantic.

"You healed my hearts from the loneliness." His voice was deeper now.

It almost made her melt on the spot.

"H-hearts?" she croaked, trying to concentrate on the conversation.

"I dream quite often that I have two of them," John practically jumped at the chance to change the subject.

Rose smiled wickedly.

"Perhaps we should call the Matron back in. She could check."

God, was she actually encouraging his affair? Stupid, stupid ape-girl…

"I'll trust your judgement, if you don't mind," John answered before he could stop himself, and blushed even deeper. Still, he didnt take it back, even as Rose put the book aside, her hand reaching out. She layed it softly against his chest where his heart was. Closing her eyes, she relished in it's strong beat for a few seconds, before moving her hand across his chest to where his secondary heart should be.

Nothing.

"Sorry, John. Just one heart. Singular."

She seemed as disappointed as him.

"Still got you, though," John whispered almost huskily, his face inches away from her. For a moment he thought that he'd done it, that he'd scared her away as she looked at him quite taken aback. When her most brilliant smile up until now spread across her features, however, he heaved a sigh of relief. Audibly, which made her giggle at him, but it was the only thing he could do, not to engulf her in his arms and spin her around in giddy happiness.

3333333333333333333

It was much later that night when Rose, on her way back from their 'Magic Blue Box- the TARDIS- was halted by strange noises. She had taken John Smith's 'Journal of Impossible Things' into the sentient ship, so she could keep it safe. Not to mention that she still needed some comfort from what she had seen in the interaction between the Doctor's human self and the Matron. Therefore, she had waited until she could hear Charlotte's soft snores, before slipping out of the room on her tiptoes, and making her way down into the cellars.

Had anyone caught her, she would've simply said that she was getting a glass of water from the kitchens.

Just now, Rose had been on her way back when moans and whimpers reached her ear. Frowning, the brunette realized that they came from John Smith's room just down the hall. Surely, he would not… The young woman shook her head at the mere thought. John and Joan hadn't known each other for very long, the TARDIS had given him the right moralities for the time, and he had never been one to indulge in fantasies, so the chances were impossibly slim that he…

Still, she decided to check.

As she neared his quarters, her senses picked up the distress in the sounds he was making. Her fears appeased for the time being, Rose rushed towards the door, and knocked. Maybe that would be enough to wake him? No such luck. Steeling herself for the reprimands that would surely come as soon as John Smith was awake, she entered the darkened room. Not bothering to be quiet- she wanted to wake him, after all- she made her way over to his bed, and gripping him by the shoulders, lightly shook him.

His eyes fluttered open.

"Are you alright?" she asked, worried.

"R-rose?" he queried back with a wonderous tone.

"I couldn't sleep, and wanted to get some water from the kitchens," she answered his un-asked question. "I heard your distress, and decided to check. I was worried. What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I remember now," he croaked miserably. "The war. Such a great war…Everything burned."

"The Doctor?" she asked as if she didn't know already. He had told her about his planet, about what had happened to it.

"His home." John's voice was almost frantic now. "His family, and friends. Everything burned."

Not knowing what to reply, what to say to make it better, Rose felt useless. Usually, when the Doctor dreamed about Gallifrey, he would wake her, and she would take him into her arms. Let him cling to her tightly. But this wasn't the Doctor. This was John Smith, and she couldn't hug him. So, she did the only thing she could do.

"I'll get you a glass of water," she offered, but just as she was about to stand, John grasped her arm in a vice-like grip.

"Don't leave me," he pleaded, moving back on the bed. "Please," he added imploringly when he saw Rose hesitate. She finally lay down beside him, even though a good distance away. It didn't seem to be enough, seeing as he pressed closer. As close as he dared. "These dreams, they are wrong."

He didn't look at her. Couldn't, even if he wanted to. She didn't know that he just admitted that he dreamed about her in ways no teacher should, but he feared that she would be able to see it, if she were to look into his eyes. Surely, the mirrors of his apparently rotten soul would betray him. Uncover the disgusting truth about his nighttime desires.

"How could dreams ever be wrong?" Rose smiled, catching on to what he was saying, anyway. She shoved the pleasure that ran through her body at the thought that he was dreaming about her into the back of her mind. "They are just the fantastic stories our sleeping minds invent to entertain us, and to work through our experiences and thoughts of the previous days. Thoughts are free, dreams should be as well. Whatever we dream up."

She squeezed his hand when he choked at hearing her words. So wise beyond her years… He wanted to confess it, openly, as he felt her forgiveness wash over him. Instead, he turned into her even more, seeking her proximity when he felt the tears prick at his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered, crying against her now.

"When we dream we step into a world that belongs solely to us," she continued softly. "No one has the right to judge our dreams."

"I'm sorry. You're all…"

"Ssh, it's alright. Heroes shine brightest when they sacrifice or lose something, and they appear most human when they cry over that pain. It's alright to cry. Never be ashamed of your tears. They make you a better man."

John pressed even closer, and Rose disentangled herself only once he was asleep. When John woke up several hours later to the chirping of the pidgeons outside, he felt nothing to his right. The teacher's eyes shot open in a haste, his mind wondering if it had all been just another fantastic dream his mind had shown him. Turning onto his side, he burried his nose into the pillow on which Rose's head had rested, hoping to find prove of her visit. He knew that Rose smelled of honey and milk.

Now, as for the pillow…

**End of chapter 4!**

**A/N: Ah, my first evil cliffhanger of the story! Half-done now, too... What do you think? Please leave a review!**


	5. Dreams and Reality

_**The Nature Of A Rose**_

**Ten/Rose**

**John Smith/Rose**

** Part 5/8**

**Chapter 5: Dreams and Reality**

He paced.

He couldn't help it. Even knowing that his restlessness was driving the young ladies he was supposed to educate crazy, he couldn't stop himself. His nervousness charged him with vast amounts of energy that he was sure the Doctor would be using to run from the uncomfortable situation. His pillow had smelt like Rose that morning. He's had his student in his quarters, in his bed at night! He had held her to his body, relishing in the softness of her curves, and cried into the crook of her neck, for god's sake.

Of course, he was nervous!

It came to his mind that the Doctor was probably used to Rose's body against his own, with or without the benefit/barriers of clothing, if his dreams were anything to go by. He, therefore, would most likely not fret over this precarious situation. He would gloat over it. Unfortunately, this thought did nothing for John Smith's nerves. If anything, it riled him up even more. He shouldn't be thinking or dreaming about his student like this, even under the cover of a different identity.

It was not proper!

_How long are you gonna stay with me?_

_Forever._

It seemed that now his dreams came to haunt him during the day as well, in the middle of his lecture. And how he wished for that 'forever' to be true, how he craved her presence whenever she was not at his side. For all his worrying over propriety at this moment, he knew that as soon as she was with him, and they were alone, he wouldn't give a damn about any of that anymore. It had all started out as an adventure of his imagination, but now he wanted to be the Doctor, if it meant being able to hold Rose's hand without fear of reproach.

He could do nothing but sigh inwardly. It was never to be.

So he continued his monologue, lecturing the girls about the Napoleonic Wars, aware that barely any of them were actually listening to a word he was saying. Most of them were too bored to appreciate how privileged they were to get this education. His eyes slipped to where Rose was sitting beside her friend, Ms. Jenkins. She, too, looked bored over his words, but her eyes told him that it wasn't because the lecture was uninstresting. Rather, she seemed to be weary of her life at this school.

He hoped it wasn't because of what happened last night. Just like he hoped that she didn't decide to leave over it. Inwardly sighing, John Smith resigned himself to talking to her about what had transpired between them in his quarters. He shuddered as he recalled how very intimate their late-night encounter had been, and it had been his call no less. He had been able to feel the warmth of her skin burning him through her thin nightgown and robe. Had been able to smell her sweet aroma, and it had made his mouth dry with the desire to kiss her, to claim her as his.

He was disgusting, and he knew it. Yet, he didn't want to miss those feelings either.

The bell saved him from further embarrassment, even as his gaze darted over to the brunette woman, who captivated him so, many a time during class. While most of the young ladies refused to deign him with a word of goodbye, Rose chose to gift him with a radiant smile as if she knew exactly how much he was beating himself up- did people say that?- and wanted to ease his fears. John Smith smiled tightly in return, not quite convinced that everything was going to be okay between them.

He needed time.

"I won't be needing your help today, Ms. Tyler," he informed her curtly, trying hard to keep his expression blank when he saw hurt and disappointment flicker across her face. Biting her lip, obviously concerned that she'd upset him in some way, that he had come back to his senses, and that he was angry with her, she gave a single nod to acknowledge his words. Afterwards, she rushed out of the room.

Turning to collect his papers, he didn't see the frown on Ms. Jenkins face as she passed him.

3333333333333333333

"Would you care to join us, Ms. Tyler?"

Rose's head shot up in an instant when she heard Richard adress her. She hadn't expected that question. The young man had come to collect his sister, go for a walk with her through the city, and play chaperone as Charlotte met up with her intended in a pub near the school. He had also been the one to insist that his sister finished her education before binding herself in an arranged marriage with the man their father had chosen for her.

She wondered why he would ask her to come with them. Aside from a formal greeting, she had mostly ignored his presence as the lad spoke to his sibling. She had never had much of a conversation with him, so there was no real reason for Richard to ask her to accompany them. Then again, from what Charlotte had told her, she wasn't entirely unhappy with her fiancé. So maybe, the poor boy just didn't want to be alone with the two lovebirds.

She almost chuckled.

Then John Smith's words came back to her. They had hurt, those words. Of course she should have expected this reaction. He was John Smith, a school teacher at Queen's College in 1887, and he was ashamed like any good man from this era should be. That didn't make it sting any less though, since she knew who he really was. The Doctor, the Last of the Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey, and her Lifemate. Her lover, the man in whose arms she had fallen asleep for over half a year before they met the Family.

And she missed that man. She wanted nothing more than to go to him for a long, passionate snog, feeling his arms envelop her in an impossibly tight embrace. Wanted to hear him whisper sweet endearments into her ear as they made love, or listen to his most filthy language as they fucked to reaffirm that they were both alive.

Alive and together.

"Rose?" Charlotte snapped her fingers infront of her face.

"Huh? Oh… Uhm, I…wouldn't want to…intrude…"

"Don't be ridiculous," Charlotte scoffed, boldly grabbed her arm- Rose really was a bad influence on the girl- letting another flash of elictricity pass through them. Rose really had to find out what that was about. It wasn't the first time it had happened. Whenever they touched, something happened. Something strange, and it made Charlotte pause in her movements each time.

Charlotte gripped her tighter, and the feeling intensified.

_I am the Bad Wolf._

_I create myself._

_…_

_Five and a half hours._

_A hug._

_Good, always wait five and a half hours._

_…_

_Gallifrey._

_They murdered the Racnoss._

_Fire and water, death raging._

_Doctor! Doctor, you can stop now!_

_…_

_And if this is my last chance to tell you, Jackie, your daughter is my-_

_The connection broke off._

_Everything, he murmured into her ear as she turned to him for comfort._

_…_

_Take this watch, Rose,_

_'cause my life depends on it._

_This watch, Rose, this watch is-_

_…_

_This watch is me!_

"Are you alright? Charlotte? Ms. Tyler?"

It was only when the flashes subsided, faded away that either of them noticed the bewildered expression on Richard's face as he looked at the pair of them. The two girls ignored him for another few moments, opting to look at each other instead, assuring that they hadn't dreamt what had just happened. Rose gulped. She knew she would probably have a lot of questions to answer once Charlotte's brother had left them.

"Uhm, yes. Yes, I'm fine… and please call me Rose," the brunette stammered under the intensity of the young man's gaze.

Charlotte nodded distractedly. Letting go of Rose's arm, she turned to hold onto her brother instead. Being the gentleman he was, Richard offered his sister's friend his other arm. Smiling softly, the former time traveller slipped her arm though his. They left the room, quietly walking down the stairs. On their way out into the city, Rose almost kncocked John Smith over, because she was so deep in thought. Mumbling an apology, she brushed past him, dragging the other two with her, and not noticing the frown as he saw her 'attachment' to Richard.

The guilty jealousy clear on the teacher's face did not get passed the ever-observant Charlotte, though.

333333333333333333333

It was hours later when John Smith heard the hesitant knock on his door that made his heart soar in hope of seeing his Rose again. Although, when he had started to call her 'his Rose', he was unable to fathom. As soon as the door was opened, his hopes were crushed by the appearance of Rose's roommate. Her long, brown hair curling over her back, the girl strode over to where he sat.

"Sir," she greeted him with a tight smile.

"Ms. Jenkins. What can I do for you?"

"I would like you to dismiss Rose as your assistant, sir," she said bluntly to his shocked face.

"A-and why… would I do that?" he asked, flabbergastered.

"I'm asking this for Rose's benefit," she told him sincerely, which shocked him even more. "Ever since she started assisting you in ordering your private study, there have been rumors going around. Now, Rose is my friend, and I can't watch passively anymore while her good name is destroyed."

"What do you mean? What rumors?"

"That her…ties…with you are not entirely proper, sir." For the first time since she'd come in, Charlotte lost some of her spirit. She knew how much this work meant to Rose, and believed her when she said that there was nothing between her and their teacher. But the voices spreading were vicious, and since Rose seemingly didn't care, Charlotte had decided to take the matters into her own hands. Hoping that Mr. Smith would care.

Judging by the terrified expression on the man's face, he did.

"That's… that's not…I don't… I mean, she… we… it never crossed my mind…" he started to ramble, spluttering, flustered to his very core. He dreaded to think that someone had seen her sneak out of his quarters that night… "Ro- Ms. Tyler and I… never…I wouldn't… that's _absurd_…"

"I know," Charlotte tried to calm him, grabbing hold of his hand in an impulse. This resulted in another flash of images to be played out infront of her inner eye. They all centered around Rose and Mr. Smith, but he was not Mr. Smith. He was someone else. An ancient creature, a being of god-like power, protecting creation with his… Lifemate… at his side. The Doctor, the Oncoming Storm. A man from another world, so hopelessly in love with his precious 'stupid ape', Rose Tyler. Gallivanting across the stars in search of that day, the most beautiful day when Everybody Lives.

Never staying, never stopping, never asking to be thanked.

Gasping, both of them let go, and the vision faded.

"I…I…" Mr. Smith started, not knowing what to say. How to explain…

"The only alternative, for Rose I mean, would be… to be otherwisely 'attached'," Charlotte suggested, trying to shake those strange images away, fearing that she was slowly going insane.

"I…guess…" John Smith conceded, obviously not happy at the idea.

**End of chapter 5!**

**A/N: Another twist! I'm...well, twisted... ;) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review!**


	6. The Engagement

_**The Nature Of A Rose**_

**Ten/Rose**

**John Smith/Rose**

**Part 6/8**

**Chapter 6: The Engagement**

(a few hours before Charlotte visited Mr. Smith)

Whatever plans Richard might have had of escaping the boredom of his duty as his sister's chaperone, were swiftly whisked away when Rose Tyler took her drink outside of the pub to sit down beside the maid. The young lady had seen her sit all by herself, trying to warm her fingers against a cup of tea while a freezing wind howled through London's streets. Apparently completely ignorant of propriety, Ms. Tyler had inquired why she didn't do so inside. This, of course, had caused incredulous looks to pass between Richard and his sister as well as managing to put an expression of pure shock onto the servant's face.

"It is not allowed, ma'am," the maid had answered with all due reverence.

"Now that is just silly," Ms. Tyler had scoffed. "It's freezing out here. You'll get pneumonia, if you stay here for too long."

Jenny had chanced her a small smile.

"It is quite alright, Ms. Tyler. Thank you for your concern, though."

The frown had not left Rose Tyler's face, even as she stalked into the pub, and ordered herself a tea. The boldness of her actions, and the blunt tone in which she spoke earned her a round of scornful looks from the patrons. Judging from his sister's tales, Richard had expected Ms. Tyler to ignore them, but instead she sent them the glare of a mother scolding her child. It earned the desired reaction as the people stopped staring, averting their eyes from the delicate woman.

If Richard had hoped he could further become acquainted with this exotic creature that seemed to fascinate him so, even if he could not fathom why, he was to be disappointed as the young lady made her way to the door as soon as she got a hold of her cup of tea. Meanwhile, Mr. Latimer had found his way to Richard's sister Charlotte already, and made room for the both of them to sit down. Casting one last longing look outside, Richard resigned himself to his fate, and went to take his place by his sister's side. A sister who had made it very clear that she thought that Rose would make a fine sister-in-law, and that she would suit him…

Richard sighed. His sister ad already decided for him, unconventional as it was.

Outside, Jenny was trying hopelessly to move Ms. Tyler to return to her friends for a few minutes, until the older woman gave up when she saw that there was no hope. Instead, she allowed herself to enjoy Rose Tyler's unexpected company. The girl's manners, while not quite befitting a young lady such as herself, were decidedly refreshing, and Jenny had to admit that it was nice not to have to sit all alone.

When the first light crawled across the darkened sky, Rose jumped up.

This caused Jenny to jump as well, holding a hand over her heart as she tried to calm down. Richard and Charlotte both came running outside, since they had seen their friend's strange reaction, and were left to fear that somerthing had happened. Once they noticed where Rose was looking, they followed her gaze.

Charlotte gasped.

"Shooting stars," she said in wonder. "Beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as my intended," a voice Rose had never heard before replied, but she did not turn to take a look at Mr. Latimer, too captivated by the possible meaning of the spectacle.

"They seem to have come down just near Big Ben…" Rose mused aloud, remembering her dance with a certain Captain so long ago now.

"No, no," Richard chuckled beside her. "They always seem close when in reality they're miles off. They fall into the ocean- Rose… I mean, Ms. Tyler…"

But Rose was already running. The pub they had been staying at wasn't that far away from London's famous clock, so she had decided to investigate. Uncaring of whether or not she would knock someone over, the brunette raced towards the Palace of Westminster and the clock tower that held Big Ben. She couldn't see anything when she arrived, but still in memory of her first encounter with Captain Jack Harkness, she would make sure to be extra careful. After all, the Family's spaceship could be invisible.

"Rose!" Charlotte called as she ran towards her friend. "I found her!…Oh god, Rose, what were you thinking. You could've broken your neck, running like that. You had us worried sick… Don't ever do that again!"

Mr. Latimer joined them seconds after Charlotte was done scolding her friend.

"Yeah… yeah, sorry about that," Rose replied distractedly.

Charlotte glared.

"I sure hope you are!" the young lady scoffed, and Rose really needed to stop being such a bad influence on the girl. Her behaviour was less than improper.

"Yeah…I just thought…Doctor…" Rose mumbled under her breath, so that no one could here. A moment later she plastered a false smile on her face. "Nevermind. It's getting late, though. We should head back to school."

"Good idea," Charlotte agreed. "Now, where is my brother?… Richard!"

They called for a few minutes but no one answered, and finally Charlotte's fiancé offered to escort them back.

333333333333333333333333333

_The scent is faint, but it is the essence of Time. In a school._

_Now all I need is a shape, Father of mine._

_This boy will do greatly, Son of mine._

_And you shall take the housemaid's form, Wife of mine._

_What about you, Husband of mine._

_Do not worry, Wife of mine. I have found my shape._

_What about me?_

_We will consume the Time Lord, and bring you his companion, Sister of mine. She has such exquisite scent of Time and Time Lord around her…_

"Who are you?"

_The Family. And you?_

"Jenkins. Richard Timothy Jenkins. Can I go now?"

_We're so sorry, Jenkins, Richard Timothy Jenkins, but you shall never leave us._

33333333333333333333

(the next day)

They were sitting, chatting over a cup of tea. John Smith had encouraged her to bring a cup for herself as well when she collected his afternoon tea from the kitchens. The thought of just how that might look to outward observers made him gulp. He had not considered this when he had made the suggestion. Although he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather share a good cuppa with, but he had been too nervous about how to breach the subject Ms. Jenkins had brought to his attention.

He had battled with himself for half the night after Ms. Jenkins had warned him about the voices running about, concerning himself and his young student. Charlotte Jenkins had asked him to dismiss Rose as his assistant, but seeing as he couldn't do that, she had given him a second option. One he liked even less, though it would at least allow him to keep Rose close to him. His heart had been furious, trying to fight off either possibility, but in the end the rational side of his mind had won out, arguing that protecting Rose was most important.

Even if he didn't like the methods one bit.

"Uh, Rose?" he tried to begin, uneasy with this conversation already.

She looked up at him, smiling. So trustful, his Rose… No, no, no, not his. Never his!

"Ehrm… I've… that is, the headmaster and I have agreed that y-you may stay here as my assistant if you like…after you finish school next year."

Rose blushed, flattered that John Smith didn't seem to want to let her go. Of course, next year she would be nowhere near this school, since she would either be among the stars again after the trouble with the Family was over, or she would be dead. Slaughtered by that same alien family that wanted to consume the Doctor's life essence to become virtually immortal. But still, it was a nice thought from the man before her.

"Oh…uhm…that's very kind, John."

"So, you'll stay?" he asked, unable to keep the hopeful streak out of his tone.

"Y-yeah…I guess…" Rose answered, not knowing what else to say, since the truth was not an option.

"Brilliant," John Smith beamed in a very Doctor-like way as he jumped from his seat to move around the desk, give her a hug and kiss the top of her head. Before Rose had time to react, though, the school teacher retreated hastily, blushing a bright scarlet. Again, he gave no apology, and it made Rose's heart flutter in her chest. "Although, it…would not be very…proper, since you're…on your own…"

"On my own?" Rose asked, confused. Somehow, she dreaded the answer.

"Exactly! That's why we- the headmaster and I-" John Smith began, but was interrupted by a series of knocks. "Ah, that should be them. Come in!"

Looking past his shoulder, Rose saw Charlotte enter with her brother in tow. Her confusion grew, just like her dread.

"That's why we… w-well, it w-would be…be alright, if you were engaged," John said softly, shuffling his feet, unable to look at her. Not wanting to see the excitement in her eyes, for wasn't this- a husband and a safe future- what every young woman wished for?! He didn't want to see the happiness at her impending marriage on the face of his Rose, exotic creature that she was.

"Engaged?" Rose wondered disbelievingly.

"N-not immediately," Richard spoke up shyly, the Son of the Family impersonating him perfectly. "I will, of course, court you properly… The Ball, for example…"

Charlotte elbowed him into the rips.

"I mean… Would you like to accompany me to the upcoming Yule Ball, Ms. Tyler? It would be an honor." _And you smell so deliciously sweet. It makes me want to eat you..._

"Good lad." John Smith patted him on the back as he tried to hide the pain in his heart…s…

No. Heart. Singular. Hadn't Rose confirmed that? Oh, he needed her warm touch now, so much it physically hurt to stay away. Keep his distance, and not hug her to him fiercely. Never again. His single heart sank at the prospect of giving up all those possibly blissful moments of their future- but it wasn't their's. It was hers and Richard's. John Smith had to close his eyes to fight down the loss and heartache.

"And this is your doing?" Rose asked in an eerily calm voice as the attention was turned to their teacher.

More feet shuffling.

"Yeah. We want you to be happy, have a fantastic life."

SMACK!

"I make my own decisions, Mr. Smith."

Not a second later, the brunette flew past them and out the door, the first tears threatening to spill out of the corners of her eyes. 'Fantastic', that had been the last straw. How dare he? He, who was just a babysitter for the Doctor's body while they were hiding. How dare he? Not only did he try to marry her off, but to tell her to have a 'fantastic life'!?! The nerve of that man! Bloody John Smith!

She wanted her Doctor back! Now!

Rose ran as if her life depended on it. She didn't stop until she had made her way into the cellar, and the familiar buzz of the TARDIS' consciousness began to brush her own. She turned around to see if someone was following her, before opening the last door to the storage room the sentient ship had hidden herself in. Quickly unlocking the doors, she made her way around the console to the monitor.

She flipped it on, and the Doctor came into view.

"Is this thing working?" he asked as he tapped against the lense of the camera. "Alright, Rose, here's a list of instructions for when I'm human. One, don't let me hurt anyone. We can't have that, but you know what humans are like… Two, don't worry about the TARDIS. I'll put her on emergency power, so they can't detect her. Just let her hide away… Four, no…Three…No getting involved in big historical events… Four, very important…Four. You, don't let me abandon you…"

She smiled.

"And Five. Even more important, well, almost… Five, don't let me eat pears. I hate pears! John Smith is a character I made up, but I won't know that. I'll think I am him, and he might do something stupid like eat a pear. Now, in three months, I don't want to wake up from being human with that taste in my mouth."

Her smile grew into a grin. He was such a child sometimes, her Doctor.

"Six. I won't remember being me. I will be John Smith, completely. Now, I don't know what the TARDIS will make of me, or where she will land us, but I might not recognize you. Don't worry, the TARDIS won't turn me into someone who doesn't like you, but… John Smith might not… be like… I am towards you… He might even…fall for someone else…"

Her heart constricted, thinking of the Matron. By now, John Smith had probably asked her to go to the Yule Ball with him.

"I might fall in lo… so, most important, Six: I love you! Don't doubt that. Don't ever doubt that! John Smith might not, but I love you. And if he does anything to hurt you during these three months while I'm him, I'll make it up to you… It won't be my fault, but I love you. Therefore, I'll make it up to you."

"Promise?" Rose asked, knowing what would come next by heart.

"Promise," the Doctor on the screen said sincerely.

Rose smiled tenderly as the image smiled back at her.

"Oh, and Seven… If I… well, if John Smith does fall in love with you, you have my permission to take full advantage of me."

She laughed as the tape went on. This had really helped her.

**End of chapter 6!**

**A/N: I hope you liked this bit, and please review! Okay, only two more chapters to go. Unfortunately, I will be able to post the last two chapters only towards the 22.02.2009, because I'm going to go skiing until then. Forgive me? Please!**

**On a side note: I've written two JE 'fix it' companion pieces. 'Does Your Mother Know?' (about the original Doctor, and how he got his love after all) and 'Oh...She Knows' (dealing with the Human Doctor and his Rose). If you'd like to read it. Please review!**


	7. Celebrations

_**The Nature Of A Rose**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own DW or Casanova (you'll see)**

**Ten/Rose**

**John Smith/Rose**

**Warning: un-betaed, adult themes**

**Chapter 7: Celebrations**

The next week was miserable for John Smith. Not only did his cheek stubbornly cotinue to sting, but his every attempt to talk about it, to apologize even failed infront of the unrelenting 'bad mood' of his young student. Her anger wasn't even the worst part. That he could handle, but those other emotions that crossed her face when their eyes met- diappointment and disgust- left him momentarily unable to breath each time.

While she still helped him bring order into the chaos that was his study, she did no longer carry his tea with her upon entering. Instead, she kept the maid in the room as long as possible, so as not to be alone with him. The servant seemed as flabbergastered by this behaviour as he was irritated, although where he had heard the word 'flabbergastered', John Smith did not remember.

Furthermore, Rose absolutely refused to call him anything but 'sir', and the way she said it, cold and harsh, made it sound like an insult. Everytime she said it, John flinched. He wanted nothing more than to turn back time, and undo it all. All which led to this distance between them that he seemed unable to conquer. Never had he wished to be the Doctor so fiercely as he did now, though some voice told him that even the mysterious hero from his dreams could not do what would be necessary to set things straight.

John Smith sighed.

The only good thing that came from the whole event was that apparently voices had started to recede, and Rose's name was safe once more. Not least of all, because of the increasing amount of time he spent with the Matron. Like now, as she accompanied him down the hall, carrying some of his books, again. They had also shared a long walk through the city that was so new to him when the Matron had offered to show him London's sights, seeing as he had been cropped up in his study for so long. Rose had been there when Joan had come to collect him. It had been the only time she'd raised her eyes to look at him that day, and he almost gloated at what he suspected was jealousy that he saw in her gaze.

He had quickly stomped on that thought. Rose was angry with him, and definitely not interested in who he spent his time with. Even if she had never seemed to like the Matron very much to begin with. The Matron…Joan… was clearly interested in him, and he didn't mind a bit. She was beautiful, educated, and well mannered. And maybe she would be able to take his mind off Rose.

If only.

"Have you made a decision yet, John?" she asked him, while simoultaneously trying to avoid the puddle on the floor where Jenny was cleaning. She looked up at them, and sniffed. The poor maid had taken a cold the week before that didn't seem to leave her.

"Regarding what?" John inquired, stopping as confusion took over.

"The Yule Ball, of course."

"Oh… Sorry, it had completely escaped my mind," he answered vaguely, and it was true. Due to the whole catastrophe with Rose, he hadn't wasted a second thought on the announcement the Matron had shown him the week before.

"Well, now that you remembered, do you think you'll go?" the blonde woman asked, hope shining clear in her eyes.

"Oh, uhm… I don't know… Maybe I'll try, but I'm not… exactly one for…dancing…" He wasn't? How did he know that? He'd never been to a dance as far as he could remember. Maybe he should try, just this once. Just to clear his head, or to distract him. And the Matron would make a proper lady to escort to a ball for him, surely. More so than Rose… Wait a minute, when had he started thinking about escorting Rose to the Annual Yule Ball?!

Silly were the ideas that sometimes entered his head on a whim.

3333333333333333333333333333333

_There is something about the girl, the sister's friend, Mother of mine._

_I noticed it too, Son of mine._

_It is something about her scent. Something that doesn't quite…belong, don't you think, Mother of mine._

_Indeed, Son of mine, Wife of mine. And she arrived about at the same time as the history teacher did. I checked the records._

_Shouldn't we act then, Father of mine. Please, I want my body…_

_Patience, Daughter of mine. The thrill of a hunt is in the chase, not the capture._

_And it could be conincidence, Sister of mine._

_Son of mine is right, Daughter of mine. We need to be sure. Don't you agree, Husband of mine._

_I do, Wife of mine._

_We shall collect further evidence, and strike during the Ball these silly apes can hardly wait for, then, Family of mine. Let us turn their Silent Night into a Night of Blood._

333333333333333333333333333

It was another couple of days later, the day of the Annual Yule Ball- December, 24th- when John Smith had finally had enough. He dropped the book he'd been pretending to read in on the desk with a loud 'thump' that had Rose jump, and fall down the ladder she had needed to order the highest shelves. The brunette woman braced herself for the pain of hitting the ground, but she never reached it. Instead, two strong arms encircled her waist, keeping her upright.

Well, almost.

Relieved, Rose let her head fall back onto John's chest, before gathering herself, and fleeing his sort-of embrace. Her history teacher didn't bother to let her go. She had been saved, and so their contact was extremely inappropriate, but John didn't want to risk her running away from him again. They would talk about what happened that day not even two weeks ago, and they would have this conversation now.

"Are you alright?" he asked first. Tenderly.

"Yes, sir, I'm fine. You can let go of me now," the young lady replied curtly, straightening herself to glower at him.

"Rose…"

"I can't do this anymore," she admitted exasperatedly, her whole attitude changing. "I don't want to be angry at you anymore, it takes too much out of me."

At this, he couldn't surpress the grin.

"But I just can't get over the fact that you tried to marry me off! Without even asking me first," she growled, and his face was wiped clean of his grin. "Neither you, nor the headmaster had any right to do that. You're not my…consorts or guardians or anything."

"I'm sorry Rose," he said meekly.

"That was like… that was like allowing someone to beat up a little boy! That's disgusting!"

He flinched at that.

"I know… Do…do…do you hate me?"he stammered, needing to know, hoping he hadn't screwed up that bad… Now, that was rude.

"I don't know," Rose replied after a long moment, and the fact that she couldn't decide seemed to sting even worse than his fear that she might very well hate him. The brunette moved to sit down infront of his desk, and he settled opposite to her. "Thing is… I had a boyfr… a fiancée…"

These news shocked John Smith. He hadn't thought… Had he only known that… Wait… Had a fiancée?

"What do you mean you 'had' a fiancée?" Again, with the rudeness. "I mean…I-if you would l-like to tell me, that is…you might not…I…"

She smiled, taking his hand. It was the first smile he had seen on her face in over a week, and it made his heart skip a beat. He could just barely make out her tongue at the corner of her mouth, telling him that she found his embarrassment to be highly amusing. He should not be amused by this, by his student practically laughing at him, but he was. He was so very pleased that she would care to smile at him again. It made him confident that they would come out the other end of this… well, smiling.

"Mickey and I were… childhood sweethearts, sort of. We started dat- our romance started when I was a bit over fifteen, two years ago," she explained, lying through her teeth. From his attentive look, she concluded that he was following her story. God, was she really that good at impersonating a teenager?! "It had lost it's charm, but…he was still my best friend, and about… six months ago, there was a battle… a local battle…and Mickey fought as did my…father… They… The battle took them both from me, along with my mother, and I… I…"

Her voice faltered. She wished she could tell him about the Doctor instead of her best friend.

"I'm so sorry. If only I had known. I'm sorry I brought back bad memories for you, Rose," John choked.

"It's quite alright. You couldn't know…" she retorted bitterly. How could he know? He was not the Doctor, he was John Smith, and he was in danger. Especially, if the Family had really landed near the Big Ben that night. She needed to be close to him now, and it wasn't like he wasn't a nice bloke. He was a good man, he didn't mean to hurt her. She had to get over her petty resentment. Only about two more weeks, and they would be free again. She wouldn't abandon him for the last few miles of their run… "Let's forget about it. You weren't trying to hurt me on purpose, you never would. I know that. So let's just… move on."

With a grateful smile, he squeezed her hand.

33333333333333333333333333333

"Are you sure you don't want to go?"

Rose chuckled, almost irritated.

"I swear, if you ask me that question one more time, your intended will find nothing left of you but cinder in the morning," the brunette grumbled back at her friend. Charlotte was making herself presentable for the Annual Yule Ball that would commence in just another hour. The girl had been talking about nothing else for the past week. Well, except for how sorry she was to have upset her. No matter how many times Rose had told her that it was okay, that she wasn't angry, just needed some space, the younger woman always managed to bring it up again.

"You know, I'm sure, Richard would still love to escort you. Just as a friend of course," Charlotte amended. "He was terribly mortified to push you so. Even though it was completely my fault as it had been my idea."

See, there it was again.

"It's alright. I don't want to go. I don't care about the Yule Ball," she answered, although she loved dancing, and would greatly enjoy herself were she to go. Unfortunately, she had a duty towards the Doctor. She needed to keep an eye on things, and therefore needed to stay focused. She couldn't risk being distracting by some boy, no matter how handsome and charming.

Charlotte sighed.

"I just wish you'd be there," she told Rose.

Oh, she would be there! Just not as a guest.

_'As a guard,'_ Rose thought. _'Or maybe, a guardian angel…'_

She liked that idea.

"I wouldn't want to ruin your fun with my bad mood," the brunette replied instead.

"I thought that you and Mr. Smith had talked about that. He's apologized, right?"

Rose nodded.

"And even then, he didn't really have anything to apologize for," Charlotte glared as Rose scoffed. "I'm the only one you should be angry at. It was entirely my idea."

"Maybe, but he decided to go with it."

Charlotte looked at her, slightly confused, and Rose realized she had used another one of her modern idioms. Sighing, the former time traveller waved her hand dismissively to tell her friend not to think about it. She then leaned back against the headboard of her bed again, already dressed down for sleeping purposes, and flipped a page in her book. She had nicked a collection of contemporary books from the TARDIS, before she was put on emergency power, and the Library disappeared.

"Fine, I give up. Stay here to rot in your little corner," Charlotte sighed exaggeratedly, teasing Rose in one last attempt to get her to dress after all.

"I will, thank you."

There was a knock on the door, which was opened instantly afterwards to reveal Charlotte's brother Richard. Another sigh escaped the younger girl as she once more chastisised her sibling for not waiting for a call. Richard, Rose noted, seemed rather unimpressed by his sister's reproach, which was unusual. His only reaction was a curt nod, and a sniff. It seemed like he had as bad a cold as Jenny.

Fear suddenly sank into the very core of Rose's being.

The Family can sniff out anyone.

"Well, if you're sure, we'll be going then…" Charlotte told her.

Rose could only nod, waiting for the door to slid shut, and the retreating footsteps to fade. Every second felt like hours to her, until she finally dared to move. She stood from the bed, moved to the door, and opened it a crack. Spying outside, she was relieved to find the hallway empty. All the other girls and most of the staff were already gone. Silently creeping down the corridor, she hoped that John Smith had not yet escorted the Matron to the Ball. She needed him to stay here, and preferably come with her into the TARDIS to open the watch.

Three soft knocks and one "Come in!" later had relief wash through Rose in powerful waves.

"Mr. Smith?" she asked as she popped her head inside, in case the Matron was present.

"Rose?" he answered in kind, immediately standing.

She entered his quarters, and earned herself a gasp. Frowning, she wondered what he was gasping about. After she turned back towards him from closing the door tightly shut, she realized what embarrassed him so that he was trying very hard to look at anything but her. She remembered having put on her nightgown to fool Charlotte, and now she stood in her teacher's study with nothing on but said nightgown and a light blue robe. It probably reminded him of another night they'd shared in his quarters, only that back then she'd had a half-decent excuse to be there.

"Wh-wha… what are you…" John cleared his throat, still not looking at her. "Do you intend on going to the Yule Ball dressed like that, Rose?"

Just like the Doctor. He tried to cover his embarressment by teasing.

"I'm not going," Rose stated simply.

This got his attention.

"Why not?" he wanted to know, his gaze staying on her face with determination.

"No one's asked me- except for Richard, and we know how that turned out…"

"Ah, yes…" He flushed even more.

"And what about you, John? Ready yet? You're going with Matron, right?" she asked, nervously trying to breach the subject.

"Uhm…no. I… I didn't ask her…in time. Mr. Cartwright beat me to it," John admitted, then frowned as he wondered where this phrase had come from again.

"I'm sorry," Rose offered, although she didn't mean it. Not only, because that meant that he wasn't courting the Matron- or at least not yet- but because it meant that he would stay here, while the Family searched him at the Ball. She expected a curt nod or a murmured thanks at her words, but John surprised her once more.

"I can't… find myself minding it… I didn't want to go to the Ball with Joa… Matron Redfern anyway," he shrugged, his gaze resting on her so intensely that she shivered in her thin nightgown.

"No?" she croaked, wondering when and where exactly she had misplaced her voice.

"No," he replied in a low, husky voice.

Another shiver wrecked her body, and this time it seemed to be read as a cue, because John Smith bridged the distance between them in three quick strodes. Then he took another few until he had her backed against the wooden door. It was Rose's time to gasp. A man thinking as if he were from this time period, trapping her between his lean body and the door that opened in their direction, his hands gripping hers tightly.

Who would have thought…

"I wanted to go with you," he whispered, it almost sounded like a plea. Like he was begging for acceptance. "I know that these…desires…are wrong, but I can't seem to help myself. You're kind, and brave, and clever- brilliant, really- and you care so much for everyone, no matter who they are, or where they stand in society. You are so lovely that I…I…Please, don't leave me. Don't ever leave me."

Rose couldn't speak, just a whimper could get passed her lips.

"I know it's not proper, but I want to court you," he admitted hoarsely. "Openly, even, once you've finished school."

"I…I…"

Whatever else she might have wanted to say was swallowed in a bruising kiss. John's lips pressed over hers, and their teeth almost scraped against each other. This was not the kind of kiss Rose would have expected from a 19th school teacher, but then again as a student she wouldn't have expected to be kissed by a teacher in the first place. It was different from the kisses she had shared with the Doctor too, much more possessive and desperate than the Time Lord's usually caring nature.

Still, she could do nothing but respond in kind, pressing back into him. Reclaiming possession of her hands, she used her nimble fingers to undo the buttons on his jacket. Need arose in her. She had missed a lover's touch for over two months, not exactly a long time, but adding it to the stress of living in this era they easily became two months of hell. His jacket was soon dismissed, along with his west and bow tie, and she quickly set on ripping his shirt from his trousers.

John Smith had not intended to let it go this far. If he comitted himself to such a scandal, he had at least wanted to do it right, but the look of longing she had given him just as she opened her mouth to speak had been too much to resist. So, he kissed her, still holding onto her hands tightly, until she escaped his grasp. His hands moved to shrug her robe off her shoulders. As she continued to efficently undress him of his many layers of clothing, John began to wonder if she had done something like this already.

Possibly with her former fiancée.

The thought didn't quite rest well with him. Not because it was improper, seeing as he really had no right to make amends over that, but because of the jealousy that arose in him like a frenzied rage at the thought of another man laying claim on his Rose. If so, he would have to wipe any traces of memory of her 'encounter' with Mickey-the-idiot- now, that was very rude- from her mind. Just as her light blue robe crumpled on the floor, and one of his shaking hands absentmindly tried- and failed- to turn the key in the lock of the door behind her, Rose freed his upper body. Her nails skimmed over his chest, circling one of his nipples before moving on to scratch his skin down to his abdomen.

"Rose…" he whimpered.

"This is sin."

It was a warning. She wanted to make sure that this was what he wanted. She was giving him an out.

"Then let me sin…with you. For the rest of my life…" he replied seriously.

She conquered his lips in another passionate kiss. Stretching her tongue over the edge of her mouth, she licked his lips. Using his groan to her advantage, she slipped her clever tongue passed his parted lips into his unfamiliar warm orifice. It was different than when she kissed the Doctor, but not unwelcome. She had almost forgotten what it was like to do this with a human in all those years she had travelled with her Time Lord. This was more than an opportunity to find out again, though. She cared about John Smith, like she cared about the Doctor.

She loved them both in their own ways.

His tongue slid shyly along her own as if he wasn't quite sure what to do. His hands fumbled with the ties on her nightgown, until it slid neatly off her shoulders. Suddenly, he could feel her mostly naked body pressed against him, making him shudder as he felt her puckered buds brush over his chest. His arms gripped her waist, a hand pressing against her lower back to draw her closer as he guided her over to his bed.

Meanwhile, Rose wondered if she wasn't supposed to tell him something. Hadn't she come to say something to him? To do something as well, perhaps? One open-mouthed kiss to her throat, and all thoughts were wiped from her consciousness, while he lowered her onto the sheets. She slid up on the bed, waiting for him to remove his last articles of clothing, and cover her with his body. He kissed her once more, his gaze boring into hers.

So intense, so passionate, so loving.

His hands mapped out her body, trailing down her arms and up her side, until they could gently massage her breast. He lowered his face to her chest, making her gasp and moan, her back arching off the bed in her search for more contact. He continued to leave kisses on her silky skin as he headed towards the juncture of her thighs. Spreading her legs, he freed her off her damp undergarments, before kissing his way back up to her centre. His lips burned a pass of fire, flames lapping at her skin as he lapped at her core. Heat began to collect in her stomach. Her fingers fisted in his hair, yanking him back up to her face to kiss him.

She was warm and ready when he entered her. There was no barrier in her body, and no pain on her face when he settled inside her. He should be shocked, disgusted even, but all he could think about was how happy he was that she would be able to enjoy this with him. That she would remember this moment without the thought of pain crossing her mind. And once he began to move within her, it were her little gasps and moans that made this memory perfect for him.

3333333333333333333333333333333333

"We need a Time Lord," the Father told her.

"A what? Headmaster, please…" Charlotte asked, confused.

"Where is the history teacher?" the Son demanded to know through the lips of the girl's brother.

"He…he isn't here… I don't know…at school, maybe…please, what has happened with you, borther?"

"He was consumed."

Charlotte gulped.

"He's dead?" She wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"Yes," the Mother replied with glee, the face that once belonged to the housemaid grinning.

Charlotte grabbed hold of her fiancée, and ran away like everyone else had done minutes prior, after the first man had been murdered.

**End of chapter 7!**

**A/N: One more chapter to go... Sorry, I didn't update sooner. wouldn't let me log in. There was a glitch in the system or something.  
Please leave a review.**


	8. Everything Ends

_**The Nature Of A Rose**_

**Ten/Rose**

**John Smith/Rose**

**Warnings: unbeta-ed, lime**

**Chapter 8: Everything Ends**

Silence encompassed them as they lay, bathed in the warm afterglow of their love-making. The only sounds that reached their ears were the gentle drumming of their hearts beating in tune. Rose's hand caressed through his hair, shifting the soft, brown curls between her fingers as John rested his head on her chest. He had closed his eyes to listen to her heart, and the almost inaudible noises of her breathing.

He had flung one arm over her, fingers splayed out against her ribcage, drumming along with her body. He was still half-covering her smaller frame, their legs an entangled mess of limbs. She could feel his hip pressing into the side of her thigh. The brunette raised her second hand to trail her nails along the arm that was holding her, then up and down his side.

John shivered.

He planted a light kiss to her breast, and watched as her nipple puckered at this feather-light gesture of affection. She was so wonderfully responsive to everything he did to her that it astonished him. Her hand was now teasing his waist, which in turn made him wriggle underneath her touch. He heard her giggle, and couldn't help but smile into her skin. A light tug at his hair had John raise himself over her once more. Their gazes met, screaming of mutual love, although her eyes seemed to hold an uncertain darkness.

A sadness he wished to erase.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

She looked confused.

"Whatever for?"

"For this, of course…I…"

"Do you regret it?" she interrupted him, and her tone spoke of hurt.

"No, no, no, no, no. No, I don't regret it…" he hastened to reassure her. "I just regret… the circumstances. I…hadn't meant to just…force you…"

"You didn't force me." Again, she didn't let him finish. "What happened, happened because I wanted it to. I wanted this as much as you. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Loving someone could never really be wrong."

His lips were on hers in a moment. Shifting his weight onto one arm, he used the other to crush Rose's body to his as he gave her a searing kiss. The brunette was abandoned by all coherence as her hands fisted in John Smith's hair, pushing his head down as if she couldn't get him close enough. It was his pleasure to comply, and move on to shower the column of her throat with hot, open-mouthed kisses.

"Thank you," he whispered over and over again.

He turned them over, so he could pillow her head on his chest. Rose immediately snuggled into him as much as she possibly could. Even a piece of paper wouldn't be thin enough to fit between them. Laying over the right side of his chest, she found herself missing the Doctor's second heartbeat. At that thought her own heart stopped for a few seconds that seemed to be an eternity. She tensed as she finally remembered why she had come to John's study in the first place.

_'Shit!'_ she swore silently. She had gotten distracted, and lost focus. By now the Family had probably noticed that the Doctor wasn't at the Annual Yule Ball, and was on their way back to the school.

They needed to get out of here.

"Uh…John…" she started.

The door was burst open, and slammed into the wall beside it. Storming inside came a very panicked Charlotte Jenkins, soon to be Latimer, her long brown hair flying behind her, just as her intended followed after her. The young girl was about to announce something, even came as far as "Mr. Smith", when she saw what was happening on the bed. Frozen in shock, Charlotte stood completely still, while John and Rose had tensed under the covers. Meanwhile, Mr. Latimer was sending them a look of utter distaste.

"Charlotte…what?!…"

Rose was the first to react after quickly overcoming her shock. She had learned not to freeze in fear for too long, considering that it might as well be fatal to one's well-being when travelling with the Doctor. The brunette disentangled herself from the still shell-shocked John, and reached for her nightgown and robe. Quietly slipping into both, and pulling on her knickers somewhere in between, she went to grasp Charlotte's shoulders.

"Charlotte, what happened?" she asked calmly.

"Brother…Ball…Death…want Mr. Smith…warn…you, Mr. Smith…" the girl stuttered, turning to look between Rose and John, unable to quite fathom what was happening. The small string of flashes she got from where the other woman's hands lay, and the tingling that came with them went by unnoticed by her.

Mr. Latimer was still glaring at them when John finally caught up with the situation, and got dressed. His face flushed, but this was not the moment to be ashamed. He quickly slipped into his trousers, and went to put his shirt on. Unfortunately, Rose had already worked through what her friend was telling them- easy, when you can hear extra-terrestrial gunshots from the entrance hall, if you just listened closely enough- and grabbed hold of her new-found lover, hastily dragging him out the door. With her other hand, she was pulling Charlotte behind her as well, knowing that the Family would interrogate and most likely kill her, were the girl to stay behind.

"Where are you taking her?!" Mr. Latimer demanded to know.

"I'll explain later. For now, we need to move."

"No, I demand an explanation of where you're taking my intended!" Mr. Latimer protested, stomping on the floor like a whiny child.

Rose turned back to him, only to give him a sound slap.

"To safety," she then answered. "Now, shut up!"

She turned once more, quickly running back to where she had left John Smith and Charlotte, and with a growled "Come on!" she got them to follow her. They didn't take the direct route, opting instead to move through the kitchens, then down into the cellars. Now even John wanted to know where they were going. Rose's vague answer that he would be surprised did not quite match his expectations, but he followed her nevertheless. The brunette opened a last door, and pushed them inside.

Charlotte and John both gasped as they came to stand infront of a blue box.

"That's…" John breathed.

Rose pushed passed them, and opened the doors. No one moved.

"What are you waiting for?! Get inside!"

"But…we'll never fit in there."

"Well, if you prefer to stay out here, Mr. Latimer, be my quest," Rose growled at him, before grabbing Charlotte's hand, and, giving it a good pull, maneuvered her inside. "Now you, John."

He nodded uncertainly, and slipped past her. Rose followed. So did Latimer.

"It's…bigger on the inside…" Charlotte stated.

"Really?" Rose asked, faking surprise. "I hadn't noticed."

She walked around the console to watch as the monitor flickered to life. The images chilled her to the bone. London was bombarded. Rose asked the TARDIS to show her what parts of the city were bombarded the less. Just like she suspected it was the area around the Big Ben.

"It's just like…when…when you touched me," Charlotte whispered. "And I thought I was going insane."

"Not anymore than me," Rose laughed.

"This can't be real!" John suddenly exclaimed. He was shaking his head furiously. This was wrong, so wrong. He couldn't believe this was happening. It couldn't be happening. "They are dreams, just dreams. This can't be real, but…that… would mean that I'm dreaming again, right? I'm dreaming. Yes, that must be it."

Rose sent him a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry, John, but this is not a dream. I wish it were. I wish it were just a nightmare, so that all we'd have to do would be to wake up, and it would be over…but…it's not," she whispered, ducking under the console, and emerging with a silver fob watch. By the expression on John's face, it seemed to stir something inside him. "This is real. You didn't just dream to be the Doctor… You are the Doctor."

_This._

_Watch._

_Is._

_…_

This watch is me!

John couldn't believe it. He didn't want to. The Doctor was just a character in a story made up by his imagination. He wasn't real. This him, John Smith, was real, couldn't Rose see that?! They'd just spent a wonderful night of love…was that all just an illusion?! But then, if he was dreaming now, who told him that he hadn't dreamt before. That was it, he was only imagening this. Rose had never come to his quarters, even if it hurt to think that. He had to accept it.

"You're not real," he stated calmly, gazing at Rose with longing.

Rose frowned, marched over to him, and pressed her lips against his. Hard.

"When I kissed you just now, was that not real?!" she demanded, once they parted for air.

"This is insane. Sinful, the both of you!"

"Ssh! Not now, Jeremy," Charlotte chastised her fiancée. With what she'd seen today, she was willing to go on a little faith here…

Rose gripped onto John's hand.

"My touch, does it not feel real to you, John?"

"But you can't be," he protested weekly, the first tears sparkling in his eyes.

"But I am, and so is the Doctor. Because the Doctor is you," Rose replied softly, turning his palm upwards, and laying the fob watch into it. Her hand rose to caress his cheek as the little trinket sang to him. John could hear a voice, whispering single words or short phrases to him, yearning to be free. He wanted to think it was all his imagination, would prefer to argue that he was going insane, but something in him could not deny that little voice inside the watch.

"Then…" Charlotte spoke up. "Then…those images…they were real?…But why did I see them whenever I touched either of you?"

"Oh, low-level telepathic field, you were born with it," the Doctor answered in a rushed voice through John Smith's lips, before the teacher gasped, and came back. "Is that how he talks?"

Rose nodded.

"That's him, alright. He could fill a day with his rambling… Now, all you need to do, is to open the watch."

John flinched.

"But I don't…I have just one heart! I don't feel another… I can't be…I want to be John Smith. With his life. And his job… And his love." At this he earned a disgusted snarl from Jeremy Latimer. "Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man?"

Jeremy was about to say something, when Charlotte stepped onto his foot, making him let out a yelp instead.

"Yes, you are, John, and if I could take this burden off your shoulders, then I would," Rose replied in a small, but sincere voice. "But there are people dying out there who need the Doctor. The universe needs it's Doctor… And I need him too."

"What was I then?!" John Smith demanded. "Just a toy, just something to pass your time with?! Did I not matte-"

Rose slapped him, again.

"You silly man, don't ever say that!" she growled at him. "I love the Doctor… and I love you. You're him, you're what he so often wants to be. A simple man, not burdened with the weight of the universe. And isn't he what you dreamt of being? An adventurer, a daredevil. A madman… Someone to hold my hand, without the rules of society bothering us? He is that man, like you're his dream too. And I love you both in your own, special ways. I always will, you hear me!"

John frowned, uncertain for a mere moment after her speech. Then, determination shining in his eyes, he circled one arm around her waist, and pulled her in for a butterfly-kiss. She molded against him, giving up control. To him. Surrendering. To him. She was his, and she always would be.

The Doctor would make sure of that.

She was his…and the Doctor's.

With that thought, he opened the watch, and felt his second heart return with a strong beat.

33333333333333333333333333

_He wrapped my father in unbreakable chains, forged in the heart of a dwarf star._

_He trapped my mother into the even horizon of a collapsing galaxy to be trapped there, forever._

_He still visits my sister. Once a year, every year. I wonder if one day he might forgive her. He trapped her into a mirror, every mirror. Can you see her, just there? That silvery smoke, there she is. Whenever you look into your mirror to find your reflection cloudy, that's her. That's always her…_

_As for me, I was suspended in time, and the Doctor put me to work over the fields of England near a small little town with an all-boys-school... As their protector._

_We wanted to live forever, so the Doctor made sure that we would…_

_…_

_He never raised his voice during all of this. That was the worst part. The fury of the Time Lord, unleashed in a silent crusade. It was only then that we understood why this Doctor, who'd fought with gods and demons… why he had run away from us and hidden._

_He was being kind._

3333333333333333333333333

When he returned to the school, he found the cellar empty. Wondering where his companion and their guests had gone, he wandered deeper into the building. Deadly silence eventually led him to the kitchen, where Rose had apparently made some tea for her friend Charlotte and the girl's fiancée. He also realized that the brunette had gone back to their room to change into something a bit more…proper… than a nightgown with a robe thrown over it.

He chuckled, which made them notice him at the entrance.

"Is it done?" Rose asked.

"It's done," the Doctor answered tiredly.

His Rose jumped up, and ran into his arms. Her bear-hug crushed his lungs, and not for the first time the Last of the Time Lords found himself immensely grateful for his respiratory bypass system. He enveloped her waist gently, and rubbed her back in soothing circles as his lips brushed the top of her head. He could feel more than hear Rose sigh into his chest, glad that she had him back, and at the same time a bit sad that she had had to say goodbye to John Smith.

"I'm still him. A bit like regeneration," the Doctor murmured comfortingly. "Same man, new race."

She chuckled at this.

"Seriously, though…" her not-yet-pinstriped-again alien amended, drawing back from her body a bit. "Everything that John Smith was and is, I'm capable of that too."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her, earning himself a laugh.

Someone cleared his throat. No, hers, the Doctor decided when his eyes settled on Charlotte. Jeremy Latimer was still not deigning him with a proper look, unless to glower at him. The Doctor sighed.

"What will happen now?"

"Well, first, I will apologize. Because I'm truly sorry," the Doctor answered the girl's question.

"Sorry?" she wondered. "What for? You saved London."

"It's his fault it was in danger in the first place," Jeremy reminded her, turning to glare daggers at the Time Lord.

"Jeremy!" Charlotte admonished.

"No, he's right. If I had never come here, none of this would've happened. No one would be dead…your borther…I'm sorry," he admitted, and felt Rose squeeze his middle a bit. "All I can say, is that I needed to give them a chance to live out their lifes at their natural length."

"Well, what about you? What will you two be up to in the upcoming years?!" Rose tried to lighten the mood.

Charlotte blushed.

"Well… Jeremy's family lives near Farringham, so… it was planned that we move there after our wedding."

The Doctor smiled. He reached into his coat pocket to retrieve the watch once more, and held it out to the young lady. Despite her fiancée's warning, Charlotte extended her hand, and took it from him. A warm tingling raced up her arm from where her hand touched the Doctor's but no images followed into her mind. The girl frowned, mildly confused, and just a little bit disappointed. Now that she was rid of the fear of going insane, she would like to know a bit more about this man her friend Rose was travelling with.

"My mind is well-protected again. No more visions for you," the Doctor chuckled. "And that is just a watch now, but please keep it. As a good luck charm, and when the time comes, hand it down to your youngest son."

Charlotte nodded slowly.

"Don't ask," Rose suggested. "He just knows these things."

The Doctor beamed at that compliment.

"Time to go," he announced to everyone, and they headed back down to the TARDIS.

Rose and Charlotte shared a fierce hug, while the Doctor and Latimer ignored each other. Charlotte told Rose that she would name one of her sons after her brother, who had been killed by the Family. Promising to visit her again some time, Rose slipped into the TARDIS hastily to hide her tears, while the Doctor gave her friend another hug, and suggested to stay and watch as they set off.

"You'll like this bit," he said, shortly before the TARDIS disappeared.

3333333333333333333333333

Rose had gone off to get changed once more, finally able to get rid of her period clothing. Usually, she enjoyed dressing up very much- just not for over two months, please. She also told him in her no-nonsense voice that, should he ever even consider turning himself human again, and landing them in a time before social equality, she would personally skin him alive- after the TARDIS was finished electrocuting him!

He chuckled, and went off to find her.

Like he suspected, he found her in their bedroom, rummaging through her wardrobe to find something reasonable to wear for Pen Hexico Two, where the two females he travelled with had decided to go next. Having developed a strong dislike for the clothes she had to wear in 1887, Rose had chosen to stay in just her knickers until she found something to her liking. This drove the Doctor to stride over to her to embrace her from behind, a distinct glee in his eyes.

"You know when I said that you could take full advantage of my human self, were he to fall in love with you?"

"Hmmm," was the only answer Rose managed as the Doctor decided to massage her shoulders.

"I didn't me 'full advantage'… Now I have to re-claim you," he told her, breathing against her ear, voice husky.

Rose giggled when he carried her off to bed.

**End of 'The Nature Of A Rose'!**

**A/N: Well, that's it! Many Thanks to all my readers who stayed with me for so long. I hope the finale met your expectations, even though it wasn't too action-filled. I wanted to focus on the emotional side of the story(maybe one day I'll write a Human Nature/Family of Blood AU with more action in it- as it is, I'm working on a sequel to my JE fix it 'How Long Is Forever?', so it might be a while). Still, I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review.**

**Thanks again, and I hope we'll 'read' each other soon!**

**Love,  
Mayet**


End file.
